When researchers asked HR managers what they want most from new technology, the answer was not a specific tool or feature. It was a better user experience.
That finding, from an Information Services Group study cited by SHRM, should not surprise anyone. Employees — especially those entering the workforce today — expect internal systems to work as smoothly as consumer apps. When requesting PTO, updating benefits, or submitting an expense report feels like navigating a government form from 2005, something is wrong.
The rip-and-replace trap
The obvious response is to replace existing HR software with modern cloud-based tools. But this approach is expensive, disruptive, and often misguided:
- You lose prior investments. Years of configuration, integrations, and institutional knowledge get thrown away.
- The disruption is real. Migration timelines stretch, data gets messy, and employees face yet another system to learn.
- HR stays siloed. Even a modern HR system is still just one system. Employees still need to go somewhere else for IT requests, facilities requests, and everything else.
Replacing one system at a time does not solve the underlying problem: fragmented processes spread across disconnected tools.
A better approach: orchestrate on top of what you have
Instead of replacing HR systems, a workflow orchestration platform sits on top of them. It connects the existing HR tools, IT systems, facilities management, and any other backend systems into a unified experience layer.
For HR specifically, this means:
- One portal for employees. Whether they need to request PTO, order equipment, submit an expense report, or update their benefits, they go to one place.
- Automated workflows behind the scenes. Requests route to the right approvers, trigger the right backend systems, and execute the right fulfillment steps — deterministically and with a full audit trail.
- HR teams control their own services. HR managers can define and update service items, approval flows, and routing rules without waiting on IT to build custom integrations.
- Existing systems stay in place. The HRIS, payroll system, and benefits platform keep running. The orchestration layer connects them without requiring migration.
Strategic alignment, not just better forms
The ISG research found that nearly one-third of HR leaders prioritize strategic alignment with business objectives. Workflow orchestration supports that directly:
- Faster onboarding. Cross-departmental onboarding workflows execute automatically, getting new hires productive sooner.
- Reduced costs. Automated fulfillment replaces manual coordination across departments.
- Measurable improvement. Every request is tracked, timed, and auditable — providing the data HR leaders need to demonstrate impact.
The bottom line
HR managers want better user experience. Employees expect it. But ripping out existing systems is not the answer. A workflow orchestration platform delivers the modern, unified experience HR managers want — while preserving the systems and investments already in place.
See how Kinetic orchestrates cross-departmental workflows without replacing your systems →
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